South Asia
In a joint statement, New Delhi and Washington have called on Islamabad to take “immediate, sustained and irreversible action” to make sure that Pakistani territory is not used to harbour terrorism and to ensure a speedy trial for the main accused in the 2008 and 2016 attacks in Mumbai and Pathankot, respectively. [Hindustan Times]
After dousing the week-long fire aboard the oil tanker New Diamond off the Sri Lankan coast, efforts are now being made to salvage the tanker and deal with the massive oil slick in the waters. [India Today]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Adil Aliyev, the vice-speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament, said on Wednesday that Azerbaijan considers Turkey’s allies and adversaries as its own ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’, stressing on the brotherhood between the two countries. With respect to Ankara’s tensions with Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, he said, “Greece showcases a prejudiced approach like Armenia”. [Daily Sabah]
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Moscow. Both sides have agreed to coordinate together on regional concerns to strengthen their partnership. [Economic Times]
East and Southeast Asia
Beijing hopes that Japan’s next likely prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, will make ‘conciliatory gestures’, in light of Japan’s closeness to the United States. Suga is considered the top choice for the prime ministership, since he is supported by the country’s influential Secretary-General, Toshihiro Nika, an ally to China. [Kyodo News]
The Singapore Airlines Group will lay off 4,300 employees due to the impact of COVID-19. It projects operations at less than 50% of its regular capacity by 31 March. [Economic Times]
Two female legislators from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Tomomi Inada and Seiko Noda, have expressed that they would like to give up their presidential candidacies. The casting out of female politicians from key races reflects the glass ceiling restricting women’s participation in Japanese politics. [The Mainichi]
Europe
Leaders of seven southern European countries met in Corsica on Thursday and urged Turkey to end its “unilateral and illegal activities” in the eastern Mediterranean. The countries also expressed their “full support and solidarity” with Cyprus and Greece and warned of sanctions against Ankara if it did not move towards easing tensions in the region. [Euro News]
The UK struck its first major post-Brexit deal on Friday, after signing a trade agreement in principle with Japan. The agreement is expected to boost trade between the two nations by almost £15 billion. [BBC]
Latin America and the Caribbean
After a man was killed in police custody for allegedly violating coronavirus social distancing rules, hundreds of Colombians took to the streets in protest, with 56 police stations damaged, and eight city buses burned. Seven civilians were killed, and 175 were injured. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
A massive blaze that took place at the site of the devastating Beirut explosion has spread panic across the city once again, just two days after another fire occurred at the same spot. On Thursday, the Lebanese army attributed the latest fire to the storage of tyres and oils at the port’s Duty-Free zone. [Al Jazeera]
United States President Trump has bragged that he protected Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from consequences after the brutal assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book Rage, Trump ordered Congress to ‘leave him alone’. [The Doha Globe]
Earlier this morning, a huge explosion took place at a Jordanian military equipment facility. No casualties have been reported. [Telegraph]
North America
The Trump administration’s attempt to prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted in the US census was rejected by the US District Court in New York on Thursday. The court said that, as long as they reside in the country, they must be accounted for in the 2020 survey. Their exclusion would have affected the number of seats allocated to each state in the US House of Representatives. [Al Jazeera]
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected a Texas Democrat’s bill aimed at expanding mail-in voting rights for all eligible voters due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court ruled that, according to the state law, such privileges were only applicable to those over 65, and that it was not unconstitutional age discrimination. [Reuters]
The WE Charity, which has been in the spotlight after getting involved in a scandal due to its close ties to Canada’s Prime minister Justin Trudeau, has announced the termination of its operations in Canada. The charity’s co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, will also leave the organisation. [BBC]
On Thursday, the United States told the UN Security Council that it would work with its allies to hold the perpetrators of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s poisoning accountable, including “through restricting funds for malign activities”. [Reuters]
Oceania
Last week, an Australian mission in China offered shelter to Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Mike Smith so that they could safely return to Australia after they were named in a “national security case”. This week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that, in doing so, Australia committed an act of “interference in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty”. [ABC News]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Guinea’s constitutional court has approved incumbent President Alpha Condé’s bid to extend his presidency through a third five-year term. He is currently 82 years old and amended the constitution to circumvent the two-term limit. [Africa Feeds]
World News Monitor: 11 September, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 11, 2020
Former Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada. SOURCE: WSJ